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DMA Application Requirements

DMA Application: supplementary materials and exams

As part of the online application, DMA applicants must also submit these additional items:

1. Sample of Scholarly Writing

Submit a significant piece of your academic writing on a musical or non-musical topic. We prefer to see something that you have already written; you should not write something new for this application. Writing samples should be roughly between 5 and 20 pages in length. Please do not submit a sample longer than 20 pages. Writing samples must be in English.

Please rate your reading, writing, and speaking abilities in all foreign languages that you know.

Please give an indication of your keyboard proficiency.

Which do you consider your strongest areas in music?

In which areas (both musical and extra-musical) do you feel you need or would like additional work?

What are your present plans for a career?

State clearly and fully your reasons for wishing admission to DMA program at Yale.

Please list any additional information that you feel is pertinent regarding other dimensions of your musical background about which the Yale faculty may not be aware (e.g. concert appearances, previous scholarships, national or international competitions, etc.).

Entrance Exam & Proficiency Exams

In addition to passing the live audition (audition invitations are made in January), D.M.A. applicants must pass an ENTRANCE EXAM (offered on Saturday, February 24, 2018 only) and A MUSICIANSHIP EXAM &PROFICIENCY EXAMS (offered on Friday, February 23, 2018 only). Applicants must be present on both days. The entrance exam contains four sections:

Listening and Score Identification

Music History

Tonal Analysis

20th-Century Analysis

The proficiency exams include a foreign language proficiency exam (for students whose first language is English), and a keyboard proficiency. On the same day as the proficiencies (Friday, February 23, 2018), a musicianship exam will take place. The musicianship exam will test your aural perception of melody, harmony, rhythm, and phrase structure in music through dictation and other written exercises.

To help you prepare for the exams, here are some samples of past exams. Click each link to download.